Moving: Phase 2 - Baltimore, MD/Ann Arbor, MI - June 2013

Welcome back! If you're just joining the party you can check out:

Moving: Phase 1

A lot of people think the hardest part about of moving is the heavy lifting. They're right!   However, when traveling and moving with little ones there are lots of challenges. We've learned that how you frame the situation makes all the difference.  All around, this move was stressful, but really a lot of fun and it was cool to see the creativity emerge when we took away the TV and noisy toys, both  children and adult.  Lots of time for family.

The drive time between Baltimore and Ann Arbor is just over 8 hours for 2 adults that's nothing at all, but add 2 SUVs, 2 kids, 2 cats, and 2 fish and it gets a little more interesting. We gave a lot of thought to us all riding together and towing the smaller of our 2 vehicles, but when it we decided to buy walkie talkies and drive separately I mean how could I turn down the Hub's offer to give me 9 kid free hours of listening to music, uninterrupted audio books, and I did't have to share my snacks with ANYONE!

So it was me, the cats and the fish in the little truck. Then the Hub and the girls in "Daddy's BIG truck". The decision to put the girls with the Hub was a few layers deep. First, in general, our girls behave WAY better for their daddy. THIS is a mystery to me that I'm sure I will NEVER completely understand. The second reason is that the Hub's truck has GIANT tires and the noise that they make on the road completely puts them to sleep. I have to admit, THAT was the Hub's idea and he was absolutely right!

When they weren't sleeping they were reading...

And setting booby traps for daddy when he opened their door at the rest stop.

The most challenging part about using professional packers and movers is that you don't move with your stuff. The company we use gave us a 4-6 day window for delivery. and because of the geographic makeup of our moving teams load schedule it took the full 6 days to receive our belongings. That being said, we had a lot of time on our hands to keep our little ladies busy and with no furniture and a VERY limited supply of toys we had to get creative.

The Bucket Races

Playground Inspecting

Nature Hunts

Trash Can Head

Static Electricity Hair Stylist

And yes, we did watch a little bit more Sofia.

Then, on the 6th day, after driving all night to get to us on time, this is what appeared in front of our new home.

I can't wait to tell you about the move-in process, it was a really cool.  We decided that we will request this team by name for our next move, which, by the way is less than 11 months away! CRAZY!!!

Check out:

Moving: Phase 3

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Moving: Phase 1 - Baltimore MD - June 2013

I have to be completely honest, THe Hub and I have been married almost 8 years and very early on we discovered that as a couple, the act of physically moving our belongings across the country is NOT good for our marriage. After the first move, just 2 weeks after our wedding, it really bothered me that our first real "TEST" didn't go so well. What should have been an uneventful, 8 hour drive across the state of Tennessee turned into 12 hours of un-airconditioned hell for the Hub who was driving the largest U-haul known to man and towing his car,  as I followed im in my 10 year old car with NO AC and a particularly disagreeable disposition when it cam to climbing the "Hills of Tennessee". I think the nice way to describe that trip was "character building". As we laid down that evening, exhausted by what we'd just endured and dreading the day of unloading that lay ahead of us, we promised each other we'd set aside $50 a month for the next four years and that money would pay for professional movers!

Four years later we did just that. After being home for a month and packing all of our stuff into free moving boxes we sat back a and watched 3 men load every single one of our belongings (minus the cats, a television and clothes to last until our furniture arrived). Then, 3 days later, we watched 3 men carry every thing we owned up 3 flights of steps to where we would call home for the next four years. That evening we decided to up the ante What if we set aside $100 a month for the next four years? That would pay for people to pack our stuff AND carry it back down all those steps AND drive it across the country AND once again unload it. 

So here we are four years later and you ask, "Lili, what's kept you away so long?"

I've been moving a house... Well not ME technically, but A house has been moved under my supervision which can sometimes be more difficult than moving it yourself... Minus the packing, and lifting, and going up and down all those steps, and making everything fit into the truck... Hmmm... when you put it like thatI really haven't done much of anything over this last month!

THEY HAVE!!!

Pretty impressive huh!!!

Despite a little bit of last minute scheduling drama and a 2 day delay, this move and the guys that made it happen were pretty AMAZING!

The morning started bright and early at 8 am.  We shut the cats, and everything we didn't want the movers to take, away in the bathroom.

They parked the 18 wheeler as close as they could get it to our front door

They set up a staging area in our common hall...

And 6 grown men set to work on packing and moving our home.

I promise you, before this move I honestly would have told you we didn't have that much stuff. Let me tell you, 8,000 pounds later, THAT is a LIE!!!

Our bedroom...

Our kitchen...

The girls room...

There were boxes and men packing boxes EVERYWHERE!!!

This is Sabastian, our "Master Mover" (No that's his real title!) and he was a complete JOY to work with through out the move.

Meanwhile, as our home was delivately wraped in paper and tucked into boxes our job was to entertain 2 VERY BUSY little ladies.

I never thought I'd say this but a HUGE thank you to Disney Jr's newest princess "Sofia the First" 

There was a lot of snuggling

hide and seek

Some Moving Box Dancing... Of course!!!

And a once lost now found birthday balloon really made for some good times.

MJ got to taste her first french fries (from Wendy's).

After such an exciting morning a nap was necessary!

Even big sister took a few seconds to catch a few Zzzz's

While the girls were sleeping The Hub removed curtain rods and shelving from the wall.

E woke up just in time to find her kitchen on the kitchen counter (which she thought was super funny)

And then they carried it, backpack stye, out the front door.

After lunch and a break the real heavy lifting began.

Everything that is too big to fit into a box is either wrapped in a thick blue movers blanket

or shrink wrapped 

As you can see, this allows them to set it down until they know exactly where it's going on the truck without it getting dirty.

Finally, around 6pm everything had been packed and loaded

(Reminds me of Tetras)

The movers were gone and we were left in our empty home, which I think the girls thought was more fun than our home with all it's stuff!

The cats snuck around sniffing everything and looking around, then looking at us as if to say "do you realize we've been robbed.

It was a long and tiring day and around every corner a memory popped to the surface.

This is the first place our girls called home

I will miss my kitchen island, 

I will miss how close we were to everything.

I will miss my ORANGE wall!

I will miss this place.

Check out:

Moving: Phase 2

and 

Moving: Phase 3

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

"Hello" and "Goodbye" - Ann Arbor, MI - July 2013

Well I think it's about time I get back to life as usual. I have a few posts in the works that will tell the story of the move, but today I just want to talk.

This is our 3rd big move and there are at least 2 more in the next 3 years. With each move comes a better understanding of how we work as a couple. What we can take on and what we can give up or let someone else do. Moving with children has definitely impacted the decisions we make for our little family, and as a whole, each move has been a great improvement on the last.

However, that's not what I want to talk about today. For me , moving is a frightening thing. I hate it, but at the same time, I LOVE it! Moving forces me to be BRAVE, which is something I do not come by naturally.

Today, as I loaded the girls into the car to find Sam's Club for the first time, E asked me it we were "going to Mrs. Katie's house?" I clicked her seat belt and swallowed hard. "Nope, we're not we're going to Mrs Katie's" . She was quiet for just a moment and said, "okay, well when will we go again?" "A while", I told her, it will be a while before we see them again. "Oh", she said, softly. I closed the car door and readied myself for the questions I knew were coming.

In the short time it took us to drive there she asked about every one of her Baltimore friends, even ones that were only there for a short time, and each time I told her that I wasn't sure when we'd see them again, but I knew it would be a while. Each time she responded softly, "oh".

With each child she asked about I thought of that little one's mama, and then I thought about the wonderful friends we said goodbye to just 4 short years ago when we left Memphis. and then before that when we left Knoxville. I sometimes feel like our life has been a long series of hello"s and "goodbye's, but now we aren't the only ones saying "hello" and "goodbye".

They are starting to notice and feel the changes that are happening around them and they see when I am afraid and they know when I am brave. SO, now more than ever, I want to be BRAVE. I want to make friends, even though we will only be here a year. I want to find my favorite stores, even though we will only be here a year. I will show them it is okay to CRAZY LOVE people even if you may never see them again.

I have NEVER been the most popular kid. there is an awkward and rejected 14 year old girl just under the surface and making friends, even now, at 33 years old, is one of the most terrifying things in life. So, to all the friends I have said "hello" to and then "goodbye", Thank you for loving me and allowing me to love you in return. I truly hope to see you again soon!

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!